Aiming for a three-peat this season, the Las Vegas Aces has one of the best-looking rosters. The perfect blend of youth and experience has been instrumental in their previous two championship runs in the league. Moreover, the amount of basketball knowledge in the locker room can serve as a perfect breeding ground for any rookie. Perhaps that has been one of the driving forces behind a tremendous start to a professional career for Kate Martin.

The 18th overall pick of the WNBA draft is slowly flourishing under the guidance of some legitimate veterans. However, that doesn’t mean that she hasn’t been able to garner her own fan following through her skills. The 23-year-old recently opened up on it by saying, “I’ve been loving it so far. Honestly, I’ve just been where my feet are and enjoying every single moment. All I wanted was an opportunity and to get the chance to be in the best team in the league, with the best vets in the league, and the best coaches, I just feel super grateful.” 

Kate Martin also went on to point out how the established players of the franchise are mentoring her. Under their guidance, she’s finding it easy to truly realize her potential and make some worthy contributions.

Despite being ranked 18th in the WNBA draft, Martin is emerging to be one of the top rookies alongside Angel Reese, Cameron Brink, and her former Iowa teammate Caitlin Clark. She is currently sitting at the 5th spot in this week’s WNBA Rookie Rankings. Anyhow, in terms of collective accolades, the Aces are currently ranked 5th and are above Chicago, LA, and Indiana.

The slip is mainly because of their recent defeat in Atlanta.

A cold night for Kate Martin and the Aces

Back-to-back champions suffered their second setback of the season at the hands of the Dream. In a close encounter, Atlanta made full use of their home conditions to secure a 78-74 win. An impressive second-half display by the hosts proved enough to overpower the brilliance of A’ja Wilson (29 points), Kelsey Plum (19 points) and Jackie Young (15 points).

Meanwhile, Kate Martin performed way below her standards with just 2 points in the 21 minutes on the hardwood. At the same time, the catalysts behind Atlanta’s victorious night were Allisha Gray, who scored 24 points, and Rhyne Howard, who had 16 points in the bag.

Indeed, a disappointing fixture for the Aces considering they were the favorites entering the contest. Nonetheless, they will have time to regroup and prepare for the upcoming WNBA Commissioner’s Cup. Fans will hope they make a terrific start and silence their doubters.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video.